Despite the work done on MARINER, and other relevant projects and by organisations on this field, there are still lots of gaps to fill and capabilities to reinforce in terms of HNS preparedness. We will find a way to keep on working and we will be pleased to let you know about it. Actually, some of the MARINER partners have already started a new project, HazRunOff: Integration of sensing and modelling technologies for early detection and follow-up of hazmat and flood hazards in transitional and coastal waters, also co-funded by the DG-ECHO.

Thank you for your interest and support during the last two years.

Homage to Antonio Novas, retired from the Galician Coastguards service in November and great collaborator of MARINER. By Divulgare (Universidade de Vigo)

MARINER partners met in Vigo on November 21st to showcase the main outputs developed
after almost 2 years of fruitful collaboration. Besides presentations from partners, the conference programme included an afternoon demonstration session for participants to have a closer look at the tools developed in the project.

Past activities

02

Final Conference

The Galician Coastguards, the Vilagarcía Port Authority, Salvamento Marítimo, and our partner INTECMAR organised an exercise on November 23rd in the Ria de Arousa, a coastal embayment located in the NW of Spain. This training exercise, participated also by Universidade de Vigo and Cedre, gave a grand finale to the productive collaboration between the Galician Coastguards and the MARINER project.

Exercise in Vilagarcía de Arousa. Spain

This conference was attended among others by representatives from Salvamento Marítimo (ES), Spanish
Merchant Navy (ES), Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (ES), Galician Coastguards (ES), Military Unit of Emergencies (ES), Maritime Coastguard Agency (UK), the Ministry of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition (FR), Maritime Authority Directorate General (PT), and delegates of several Spanish state-owned ports.

Interspill is the leading European oil spill conference and exhibition that looks at potential issues to be raised from any future maritime spills, including Spill Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Restoration. From 13th – 15th March, London hosted this reference event, which once again provided a unique platform for maritime spill industry professionals, academia and government to meet, discuss and network.

Round table with MARINER partners at the Final Conference. Vigo. Spain

Marisa Fernández (CETMAR) presenting at Interspill18

Throughout these last two years the Galician Coastguard incorporated knowledge gathered by the project and, with the advice from INTECMAR, used this to reinforce their response resources to fight HNS spills.

The takeaway messages from this exercise were reflected on a video which will be soon released through the MARINER website.

Galician Coastguards' vessel at the exercise in Ria de Arousa. Spain

Once those resources were improved, adapted protocols were tested at this field exercise, which consisted of the simulation of a spill of ammonia.

The MARINER Knowledge Tool is an online repository that includes a comprehensive compilation of marine research and technical resources specifically focused on the preparedness and response to HNS (Hazardous and Noxious Substances) spills.
The Resources included in this database were carefully extracted from two main types of sources:

• EU and national research and cooperation projects addressing maritime pollution and chemical spills.
• Key organisations working within the fields of maritime pollution and health and environmental protection.

This online database can be accessed by using tailor-made search engines that help browsing the list of projects and organisations considered during the collection process or selecting the resources of interest from a list of more than 400 records.

The video contains animated frames combined with real images from the field exercises organised in the frame of MARINER project and also during the international exercise SCOPE 2017 and the Spanish national exercise HUELVA 2017, in which several MARINER partners participated.

This book is a systematic compilation and validation of chemical, biological and ecological guidelines and protocols for HNS environmental monitoring and impact assessment. Whenever possible standardized guidelines issued by OECD, ASTM, EPA and ICES were adopted. When inexistent, peer-reviewed information was utilized to produce the aforementioned guidelines. The book is structured in three axes. The first axis involves HNS chemical assessment with a summary of several analytical techniques which can be used to analyse the chemical concentrations of priority HNS in water matrices. The second axis involves an inventory of various types of bioassays and biomarkers, to analyse HNS biological effects. As a third axis, suggestions for ecological guidelines are proposed.

It is anticipated that the environmental risk assessment community, including scientific researchers, environmental agencies and regulatory bodies, as well as the competent authorities involved in HNS spill responses will utilize this book as an important tool to support environmental monitoring and impact assessment associated with HNS spills.

This guide for responders includes adapted protocols to deal with HNS spills in the marine environment. Different land-based operations and protocols were analysed and adapted for the different steps: pre-planning considerations, communication and operational procedures, and technical considerations. Protocols covering different behaviours of HNS (evaporators, floaters, sinkers and dissolvers) were evaluated, as well as recommendations to better deal with HNS spills at sea.

This is a free to access web tool and manual allowing preparation of bespoke local and regional desk-top maritime HNS exercises. The tool combines key information on HNS types, an interface to input regional weather and sea conditions to model chemical spill behaviour, a mapping system to load coastal sensitivity data and a library of typical exercise scenarios with supporting materials. The tool allows those involved in planning and providing technical response advice to be trained to respond to realistic incident scenarios for their area.

This is a Mediawiki webpage covering different aspects of HNS modelling and environmental impact assessment. The main contents are completed with slide presentations, interviews, articles, manuals, etc.

In the context of MARINER project INTECMAR focused on improving regional preparedness for dealing with HNS incident in marine environment. On the one hand, INTECMAR developed tools to improve information sharing during HNS incidents (e.g. a Geographic Markup Language schema - GML), and improved ready-to-use symbols and styles for using on mapping during HNS marine emergencies.

INTECMAR is in charge of the quality control, monitoring and research on shellfish growing areas in Galicia, a region located on the NW corner of Spain. In terms of fighting maritime pollution, it is worth saying that the contingency plan for marine pollution incidents in Galicia includes INTECMAR as one of the official centres for advising.

On the other hand INTECMAR, in close collaboration with the Galician Coastguards, produced a guide for responders that includes adapted protocols to deal with HNS spills in the marine environment. Lastly, they collaborated with the University of Vigo in the production of a video that highlights the main aspects to consider when dealing with HNS spills at sea.

CETMAR, Vigo, Spain.

INTECMAR Team working on MARINER. From left to right: Begoña Vila, Silvia Allen-Perkins, Pedro Montero, and Garbiñe Ayensa.

Within CETMAR, there is the Control and Management of the Marine Environment and Resources Department. Its basic lines of action are prevention, response and abatement of marine pollution of natural or anthropogenic origin and the development of studies on the state of the environment and its resources, besides other actions aimed at minimising the environmental impact of fishing and aquiculture. This department has been working on maritime pollution projects for more than 15 years (EROCIPS, ARCOPOL, ARCOPOLplus, ARCOPOLplatform, etc.).

CETMAR is a non-profit public foundation that aims to promote a sustainable development of marine environment & resources and to foster links and cooperation between R&D agents, the maritime-fishing industry and other major stakeholders.

In MARINER, CETMAR was the lead partner. On top of the project coordination and communication, CETMAR was responsible for the identification, compilation and facilitation of existent knowledge on HNS. This work was reflected on the MARINER Knowledge Tool, which is an online repository that includes a comprehensive compilation of marine research and technical resources specifically focused on the preparedness and response to HNS spills.

Disclaimer:
This newsletter includes information about activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.